Healthy attitude

If recent UK research is to be believed, British consumers' awareness of the link between diet and health is reaching an all-time high. Healthy eating is a hot topic, including an increasing focus on well-being, as people respond to warnings about the country's rising obesity levels, predicted to increase dramatically by 2010.

So are pubs producing food that addresses this growing trend - or should they?

There's no clear-cut answer to this. The type of pub food and its preparation, healthy or otherwise, is highly dependent on the pub's market.

Of course, that hasn't stopped the Government banging on licensees' doors recently. The Scottish Executive is considering issuing new regulations directing pub landlords to advise customers on "sensible eating"; London Mayor Ken Livingstone is allocating £3.87m over the next three years to the London Food Strategy to promote Londoners' health through better diet by improving the standard of food in the capital's pubs, restaurants and take-away outlets, and the Food Standards Agency is consulting with pubs to develop a strategy focusing on the salt, fat and energy balance of their food.

Licensee Lee Avery, who owns the Blue Strawberry pub in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire, says it's high time that pubs took a stand on healthy eating.

"At the beginning of this year I banned smoking in my pub and introduced a separate healthy-eating menu alongside the à la carte," she says.

"I'm a great believer in health and personal fitness, but instead of recommending a misery-inducing diet, I'd rather encourage customers to eat freshly-made food with healthy, low-cholesterol ingredients.

"For instance, my healthy menu includes a grilled asparagus and wild mushroom risotto, without cream or milk. If I included it on my à la carte menu, customers would assume it to be a full-fat dish.

"And offering a separate, health-friendly menu makes very good business sense."

Gradual escalation of pub food's sophistication - demonstrated by gastropubs' growing popularity - can't be underestimated. While traditional pub grub still promises steak and kidney pie, fish and chips and bangers and mash, gastropubs break new ground by offering creamed cauliflower soup with truffle oil and chives, followed by confit of pork belly with bubble and squeak and Cumberland sauce.

However, there's no guarantee that the alternative dishes are particularly healthy.

Martin Brothers' operations director Tim Rawlins claims that a healthy dish can be found on most good gastropubs' menus - the customer just needs to look for it.

"Our London pub customers are likely to be aware that our food borders on restaurant standard, which invariably means large amounts of butter and cream," he says.

"Gastropubs offer haute cuisine food experiences with good beer and wine - something customers can't replicate at home. Customers need to be selective and consider choices seriously if they want to be health-conscious - or better still, choose whatever they want but stop short of eating a whole helping.

"Ordering rack of lamb with a side serving of creamed mash or potato dauphinois wouldn't be a healthy choice, so the customer should be able to order boiled potatoes or a side salad as an alternative accompaniment. And if a customer prefers grilled to pan-fried fish, which is likely to contain butter, it should be available. Lean meat is healthier, so if a customer wants it cooked in olive oil or refuses a rich sauce, the chef should be receptive."

Ultimately, if healthy eating means a combination of customer discretion and wider menu choice, surely the onus must be on pubs to offer more healthy items - for example, scampi and chips can be poached or steamed instead of battered or deep-fried; chicken can be served skinless, pulses can be adapted more imaginatively and vege-table-based sauces can be devised to dispense with the need for cream and cheese.

Salads served plain or with dressing on the side allow vegetables to release their own deliciously natural flavours rather than have them disguised by oily dressings or smothered with mayonnaise and coleslaw.

Pathfinder Pubs, the managed arm of Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries, recently launched a new children's menu with healthy-eating guidelines, called 'I Love My Food', in its 450 pubs across England and Wales. The menu offers more vegetables, including crunchy salad sticks, peas, carrots and broccoli, as well as fruit.

Nutritional information symbols such as 'five-a-day' highlight options containing one portion of fruit or vegetables, while 'thumbs up' signals food containing no artificial colours or flavourings.

Pathfinder food segment manager Simon Taylor says, "With the content of school meals changing radically, particularly following Jamie Oliver's well-publicised campaign, we felt it was important to have a healthy-eating aspect in our pub's children's menu, too. We're considering whether healthy dishes need to be introduced to our à la carte menu - if so, we need to choose new dishes carefully."

Jane Mears, proprietor and head chef of the Ivy House pub in Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, offers an à la carte menu with healthy options and separate, extensive gluten-free and dairy-free menus.

"Initially, I introduced a separate healthy-eating menu, but it seemed much easier for customers to select from dishes on the à la carte menu which are identified as containing "less salt" or "less fat" - I cook with minimal amounts anyway," she says.

"I'm happy to advise customers looking for healthy-eating dishes and we conform to their requirements wherever possible. If a customer wants a low-calorie dish but the meal they wish to order contains cheese, for example, I'll remove the cheese."

Jane grows all her own herbs on-site and picks locally-grown fruit to use in her various menus.

"We prepare everything on our premises - that way, we know it's all fresh and we are aware of all the ingredients used in the meal's preparation," she says.

"Desserts can sometimes prove tricky as a healthy option, but I use low-fat yoghurt and natural fruit flavours.

"I believe strongly in the potential of pubs to ensure customer access to healthier food. Pub owners and chefs shouldn't see this as a burden - they just need to be a bit more organised, concentrate on maintaining low levels of salt and sugar content, and focus on leaner, simpler cooking that allows the natural flavours to come through."

Industry views

Keith Ironside, food marketing controller, Greene King Pub Company

"There will always be a market for traditional pub food, but growing health concerns mean that pubs have a responsibility to provide choice by offering healthier options to cater for all tastes. Healthier eating will continue to be a key factor in the pub trade and across the industry as a whole. And successful catering is about giving customers what they want for every occasion."

Bill Bartlett, corporate affairs director, McCain Foods

"The issue of a lack of healthier alternatives when customers are eating out will become increasingly important, particularly for families who want to spend quality time together. The industry must aim to offer nutritional choices; consumers must be able to choose whether to eat healthily or treat themselves indulgently. Pubs must address these demands and 'keep up' if they are to retain customers seeking healthier options. Several high-street pubs have begun to highlight lower-fat options on their menus."

Des Bell, marketing director,

3663 First for Foodservice

"Healthy eating is a big issue for every chef, especially those who cater for children. Family pubs must make more effort to improve kids' menus - you can't expect children to switch from wanting chicken nuggets and chips to risotto overnight, but there is a middle ground. In our Positive Steps Towards a Healthier Future campaign, we've taken everyday products and changed the recipes, reducing salt levels without compromising taste. Providing healthy main-menu alternatives doesn't need to be co